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1995 Italian Driver's Test
Luca Badoer }} The 1995 Italian Driver's Test was a Formula One test hosted by the Formula One team on the 27th September 1995 aimed at promoting Italian motorsport. Ferrari selected four of what it considered Italy's best driving talent and invited them to conduct a one-day test at their private test track in Fiorano. The driver's invited were Luca Badoer, Giancarlo Fisichella, Pierluigi Martini and Gianni Morbidelli. Overview Report The test had been planned months in advance by the Ferrari team and would be used solely to promote Italian racing drivers and motorsport due to the fact that no Italian held a competitive race seat in Formula One during the time of the test. Team principal Jean Todt explained that the test would not be used to evaluate the driver's as a potential race seat for the following year, Ferrari having already finalised their 1996 line-up of Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine the previous week. Ferrari invited what they considered Italy's best current race drivers to the test held at their private test circuit at Fiorano to test their 1995 car, the Ferrari 412T2. Each driver would be given the opportunity to drive 40 laps of the Ferrari car. The driver's in attendance were: '''Luca Badoer: '''At the time the then 24 year old Badoer was a race driver competing for the team. Badoer was considered a strong talent having won the 1992 Formula 3000 Championship and having outpaced the experienced Michele Alboreto in his first full Formula One season in 1993. This would notably be Badoer's first Formula One test in a Ferrari car. Badoer would go on to have a rich history with the Scuderia, being their test and reserve driver from 1998 to 2010. Badoer was their test driver during Ferrari's golden years where they dominated the championship from 1999 to 2004. Badoer would compete in 2 Grand Prix's in 2009 as a Ferrari driver, substituting for Felipe Massa. '''Giancarlo Fisichella: '''The then 22 year old Italian had yet to make his Formula One debut in 1995 but he already was being considered one of Italy's greatest talent in motor racing. At the time he was serving as Minardi's test and reserve driver and had dominated the Italian Formula 3 Championship in 1994. The following year he would make his debut with Minardi, beginning a career that would span until 2009 giving him three race wins. The next time Fisichella would drive a Ferrari car would be in 2009 where he drove 5 races for the Scuderia. He was employed as their reserve driver in 2010, and since 2010 serves as a Ferrari sportscar driver. '''Pierluigi Martini: '''The test would mark Martini's last appearance in Formula One machinery. The 34 year old had recently been dropped from Minardi due to financial concerns and would not find another F1 drive again in his racing career. Nonetheless Martini had been Italy's most successful race driver in their recent history, providing Minardi with their most success in their history, the team being whom he raced for in the majority of his F1 career. The test would provide Martini with his last appearance as a Formula One driver. '''Gianni Morbidelli: '''Like Martini, Morbidelli was an established F1 driver reaching the end of his career. The 27 year old Morbidelli had previously served as the Ferrari test and reserve driver from 1990 to 1992 and competing in a single race for Ferrari in 1991. Morbidelli's career spanned mainly throughout various backmarker teams, by 1995 he was nearing the end of his Formula One tenure, fading out of demand by 1997. Times Category:Private tests Category:1995 Formula One Season